best finish for hardwood floors

We packed up all our belongings nearly ten days ago, and moved out of our home. Yes, right after moving into our primary addition, it was time for phase 2 of this insanity. {Technically, I think this is like phase 7,554 of our home, but who’s counting?} We were lucky, and everything fit in other parts of our home. We were also lucky to find a LOVELY Airbnb only a few houses down. The kids each got their own bedroom, and we were able to work somewhat peacefully while this entire process {nearly 2 weeks so that everything could acclimate and dry} took place. Sometimes, the stars align and things happen even when it feels a little chaotic. This is what will be forever known as our summer adventure of 2022. At least, that’s how we’re planning to spin it. 

Our new floors, finished 

The Why:

I feel like I’ve been on a “flooring journey” for some time now. Haven’t we all? In adulthood, we have our own experiences to form enough of an opinion to know what we truly like and dislike. I was always unhappy in one way or another, with the flooring that we chose, in various homes for various reasons.

I think partly because we were always stuck with a budget that didn’t allow much wiggle room with real hardwoods or the color we wanted or what was happening in our lives at the time.

white oak floors, unfinished + unsanded. 

So I’ve had time now to really know what I want, and what will work best for our family. When we started building our primary addition, I just wasn’t sure how to finish it off because of our CURRENT flooring situation. I knew it would be a different flooring from the main house, because we weren’t ultimately happy with it in the end. But also, that flooring had been discontinued. While it was solid maple, it was pre-finished in a dark, super shiny look. As it turns out {and I should have known} this is an NIGHTMARE with three kids and two dogs and a pool. You could see every single speck, hair, smudge and spot. I felt like unless I cleaned those floors daily, it just wasn’t looking good. Cleaning the floors daily just aren’t in my top 100 list for life goals.

You can see the subtle warp here, but these photos don’t do the damage justice.

I considered tile and luxury vinyl plank, for the newest addition. I just didn’t like the way any of it was tying in with our existing house. 

White oak, unfinished, ready to sand.

Simply put, I’m to the point in my life where I look at something and wonder how it will withstand time, and how easy it is to clean. We aren’t moving. This is a big factor for going with real. And I hate babysitting floors. You think these two things would cancel each other out, but I’m stubborn and THE HEART WANTS what the HEART WANTS! 

Then I had a friend/client who refinished floors in her own kitchen that we helped her design, with a simple clear finish over White Oak, and I fell in love. She was adamant about her choice because she’d done her own research, and I could see why. It’s simple. It plays well with three kids and a dog. I’ve seen it hold up over time. I was obsessed with her floors and I’d seen them in real life to know that they were gorgeous. Timeless. Hers were finished in Bona.  

before

see this kitchen, here.

So when we had a leak in our kitchen this past February, I still hadn’t decided on the floors for the addition, but it was time to make the call. I wanted something that kind of matched, so our house didn’t look like the Winchester Mystery house. Our house is an old house with multiple additions at this point, as we’ve expanded over time. We wanted it to look as intentional as possible. I also knew what I REALLY wanted. {See me, lusting over the white oak for the past three years.} 

Again, this flooring appears fine in photographs. Perfectly fine. And I was fine with it. Until the leak. 

It was a slow, sneaky leak. The kind of leak that came from our kitchen faucet, down through the cabinet, and to the hardwoods below. I found the warped boards in our kitchen, while cleaning up after we {immediately} fixed said leak, and I was in denial at first. I couldn’t believe our existing hardwoods were messed up. I didn’t even want to deal with this. We were eyeballs deep in trying to finish up our fourth bedroom and bath, and we’d just fully gutted and replaced these existing floors {and kitchen} only five years before. I wasn’t about to do it again. {See me in full panic, rocking back and forth in the corner.} We’d already dealt with basement flooding, TWICE because of things the old owner never took care of, and we’ve been figuring out water damage while rehabbing this old home, since we moved in. It made me nauseated. I didn’t even tell Jamin for a whole day. It was subtle but it was there, and getting worse. 

White oak unfinished, and I’m already obsessed. Look how much brighter and bigger it makes our house feel!

When I did point it out, Jamin gently reminded me that we should probably contact insurance about our damage. So we did. Fast forward to a plan. I knew that in the long run this would be rough but worth it. Because the floors are continuous throughout the house, they would all have to be replaced. Yes, I am fully acknowledging that this felt super high maintenance. Again, didn’t want to deal, but kind of had to. Now that I see the results, it was worth it. 

So when I chose floors for the addition, after consulting a flooring expert, I went with White Oak. They usually also work with Bona, but I was adamant after doing my own research that we wanted Loba. Both are great.

I’ll tell you exactly what and why.

It’s different in subtle ways, and I encourage you to read up on both. Both will give you a beautiful finish. But I believe this was the right finish for us, because of our needs. One of them being TWO GIANT NIGHTMARE DOGS. They’re fluffy and wonderful but they also wreak absolute havoc on our home.

{Side note: After I explained this, a friend told me it sounded like I’m speaking a different language. I think it sounds like those robots in Revenge of the Sith when Luke and Leia are born. BONA. LOBA. My nerd is showing. That movie kinda sucks. Good times.}

The WHAT: 

So, to tell this huge backstory to explain the why, here’s what we chose, in case you’re currently doing your own research:

3.5 inch planks, in white oak with #1 grade flooring.

Then we finished it off with THREE COATS of Loba 2K Invisible Protect AT. No, this is not sponsored. This is me as a designer figuring things out because I’m exhausted and need a sensible, beautiful and timeless solution for our own home. Something that works for us. Cobbler’s kids have no shoes. That kind of thing.

White oak, finished. 

The finish is BEAUTIFUL. True to it’s name, the water borne polyurethane is invisible. It’s a two component finish available in Matte, Satin and Semi-Gloss. It lasts longer and cures faster, and non-yellowing. It’s a commercial grade finish and even the flooring guys said they may be switching over after this, because it was so easy to apply. It went on, looking a little wet, and once it dried, it’s PERFECT. 

It’s a matte finish so you can’t see any smudges. {They have other options.} It hides all kinds of sins and transgressions like not vacuuming every day {aintnobodygottimeforthat} or skipping the mop occasionally. I have to say, that I was nervous at first. The finish was SO transparent I wondered if I’d made a bad call, imagining nightmarish grease spots everywhere, even after doing my due diligence. But when the kids spill something {remember we’ve had it for nearly a month in our primary addition} it just beads right up.

Yes, there is the always present issue of our dogs. They will probably continue to mess up the floors. We do the best we can to keep them calm, but they’ve also aged a little and chilled, too. The best part is, the floors HIDE that insanity. I think I really CAN have my cake and eat it too.

White oak, finished. 

It’s the perfect solution for what I wanted, in our home. And if something like this ever happens again {FINGERS CROSSED it doesn’t BECAUSE I CAN’T HANDLE IT IF IT DOES} the floors are white oak. White oak will not be discontinued. White oak exists in nature and therefore is completely classic and timeless in and of itself. We can hopefully just touch up and move on, over time. 

Since we’re staying in this home {we’ve added too many custom touches NOT to and our kids are settled and happy} even if I decide to change the stain in {10+} years, it’s doable. Lots of pros to picking something and sticking with it over time. This is our forever home {until we decide to retire to Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, duh} so this is worth it.

White oak, finished. 

Another benefit of having our floors redone, is that it’s taken care of all the squeaking and installation that wasn’t necessarily done correctly the first time around. Our stairs are fresh!

Our old home feels brand new again, with timeless touches. And we can walk quietly without waking everyone up. 

We’re excited to permanently lighten and brighten these main living spaces, and put the kiddos rooms together just in time for back to school. {HOLD ME}. This main space will be getting a new look, too, because hazards of the job. The main cabinets have to be refinished {same colors because I love them} because of the water damage {I REFUSED to rip them out but I am grateful for the option} and mold remediation has been taken care of, underneath the house. While it doesn’t look like much, water is the worst. It’s been a WHOLE THING.

White oak, finished. 

If I had a book that explained my life, we all know it would be called “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.” It was lucky and unfortunate all at the same time, but we’ll take it.

We’re tired, but also grateful for things like insurance that help us out with problems like this, even if it has been a very slow burn since February. We’re excited to finish everything off, so stay tuned!

And that is the long dramatic story of our floors and what we chose. Wheeeeee. I’m sharing in hopes to help someone starting their own flooring journey.

We’ve been living with it for over a month now in our primary suite, and we have nothing but wonderful raving things to say about it!

Let us know if you have any questions. We’d love to help point you in the right direction.

Have an inspired day!